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Moman’s  Boavb  of  /HMsstons, 

704  Congregational  House, 

Boston. 


CIk  tUbp  and  Ulbmfore  of  tbe  Junior  Auxiliary. 


BY 

Miss  KATE  G.  LAMSON. 


BOSTON: 

FRANK  WOOD,  PRINTER,  *52  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1898. 


\ 


THE  WHY  AND  WHEREFORE  OF  THE  JUNIOR  AUXILIARY. 

BY  MISS  KATE  G.  LAMSON. 

It  has  been  a  glory  of  our  own  as  well  as  of  kindred  Boards,  that  a  host 
of  young  people  and  children  were  being  systematically  trained  in  the  grand 
cycle  of  its  organization  to  understand  their  personal  responsibility  toward 
the  work,  and  to  shoulder  that  responsibility  conscientiously  and  intelli¬ 
gently.  To  most  of  us  the  44  reason  for  being”  of  our  young  ladies  socie¬ 
ties  is  too  apparent  to  need  reviewing  ;  but,  perhaps,  to  look  over  the  ground 
afresh  will  do  none  of  us  harm,  while  it  may  help  11s  to  answer  the  objec¬ 
tions  raised  by  that  somewhat  superficial,  short-sighted  thinker  whom  we  all 
have  an  occasional  experience  of  meeting. 

On  the  part  of  the  older  friends  of  the  work  we  seldom  hear  criticism  of 
the  Junior  Auxiliary  on  more  than  one  ground.  They  believe  their  daugh¬ 
ters  should  have  this  most  important  factor  in  their  education,  they  know 
the  value  of  its  influence  in  shaping  and  developing  character;  “  but  why,” 
they  ask,  “cannot  the  girls  come  into  our  ladies’  auxiliary,  where  we  need 
so  sadly  the  inspiration  of  their  enthusaism  ?  Can  they  not  receive  their 
training  there?”  To  this  we  answer  with  an  emphatic  no.  The  chances 
are  that  your  girls  will  never  come  at  all  into  the  society  officered  by  their 
mothers  and  aunts,  because  they  will  have  a  natural  feeling  that  they  do  not 


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belong  there.  But  even  if  they  should  be  coaxed  or  driven  into  it,  it  will 
be  to  take  the  seat  in  the  farthest  corner,  to  be  as  unobtrusive  as  possible, 
while  older  and  wiser  heads  carry  through  the  programme  of  the  hour.  Or, 
supposing  a  point  more  to  have  been  gained,  and  her  share  in  the  work  of 
the  organization  to  have  been  assumed  by  a  girl,  will  not  all  her  efforts  be 
aimed  at  obliterating  spontaneity,  and  comforming  as  exactly  as  possible  to 
the  well-formed  methods  of  her  elders?  Now,  this  is  not  altogether  the  end 
and  aim  of  our  desires  for  these  fresh  young  lives  springing  up  in  our  midst. 

What,  then,  is  the  result  of  an  organization  of  the  girls,  by  the  girls,  for 
the  girls?  In  the  first  place  they  will  feel  the  charm  of  a  society  all  their 
own.  Some  wise  fathers,  when  their  daughters  arrive  at  an  age  to  under 
stand  the  nature  of  a  trust,  make  over  to  them  a  small  amount  of  invested 
property,  in  order  that  they  may  learn  the  value  of  money  and  the  proper 
management  of  it.  They  do  not  expect  their  own  example  as  able  business 
men  to  do  the  work  of  training  their  daughters,  so  that  they  shall  themselves 
be  competent  to  handle  their  own  affairs  when  need  arises  ;  nothing  but 
personal  experience  will  do  this,  and  they  know  it.  Moreover  they  realize 
the  increase  of  self-respect,  as  well  as  the  feeling  of  pride  of  ownership, 
which  comes  to  a  girl  who  has  something  to  call  her  very  own.  If  this  be 
true  in  business  interests,  why  not  equally  so  in  those  which  directly  concern 

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the  growth  and  expansion  of  the  moral  and  spiritual  life?  The  girls’  own 
missionary  society  will  appeal  to  their  powers  of  leadership,  of  marshalling 
forces,  of  planning  and  executing  campaigns.  There  will  be  no  mothers  or 
older  friends  to  do  it  all  for  them,  but  only  to  stand  behind  them  with  ready 
sympathy  and  advice.  Since  all  that  is  done  must  be  done  by  the  girls,  they 
will  have  a  pride  in  seeing  that  something  is  accomplished.  Who  can  meas¬ 
ure  the  developing  power  of  responsibility?  It  calls  out  every  faculty,  and 
tests  it  to  the  utmost. 

Another  argument  sometimes  advanced  against  the  formation  of  a  Junior 
Auxiliary  is,  that  there  are  too  many  societies  already  in  the  church.  One 
answer  should  quiet  this  objection  in  the  heart  of  every  Christian  :  if  there 
is  no  society  in  your  church  which  is  training  your  young  ladies  to  positive, 
aggressive,  intelligent  participation  in  foreign  missionary  work,  you  have 
one  too  few,  even  though  the  name  of  other  existing  organizations  be  legion. 

“  But  there  is  not  money  enough  to  support  so  many,”  you  say.  There 
is  money  enough  to  go  to  waste  in  every  Christian  community  of  our  land. 
Redeem  that  for  Christ,  and  even  cut  short  the  outlay  for  some  things,  good 
in  themselves  until  you  hold  them  up  beside  this  other  interest,  the  value  of 
a  hobby  offset  against  the  value  of  a  soul.  Money  enough?  There  is  too 
much  money,  not  too  little.  It  is  because  our  souls  have  so  delighted  them- 


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selves  in  the  fatness  of  things  temporal,  that  they  have  only  apathy  left  for 
the  contemplation  of  things  eternal.  It  is  pleasant  and  easy  to  fall  asleep 
on  the  enchanted  ground,  but  it  is  fatal. 

An  objection  much  like  the  foregoing  refers  to  the  lack  of  time  for  a  mis¬ 
sionary  society  among  the  girls.  They  have  their  studies,  some  home  duties, 
the  needful  exercise,  none  of  which  can  be  interfered  with,  certainly.  Add 
to  these  their  social  engagements,  their  painting,  their  music,  their  lecture 
courses  and  clubs,  as  soon  as  they  escape  from  the  routine  of  school  life, 
their  dancing  lessons,  their  French  and  their  German,  what  wonder  they 
have  no  time;  and  are  we  so  sure  these  last  may  not  be  interfered  with? 
We  are  in  danger  of  coveting  for  our  daughters  every  grace,  every  accom¬ 
plishment  our  nineteenth  century  civilization  can  give  except  that  matchless, 
unsurpassed  grace  of  a  heart  in  harmony  with  God  ;  that  accomplishment  of  a 
life  set  to  following  closely  after  Him  who  came  u  not  to  be  ministered  unto, 
but  to  minister. ” 

Having  then,  as  we  hope,  proved  the  right  to  existence  for  our  Junior 
Auxiliaries,  let  us  set  ourselves  to  consider  what  should  be  their  relation 
toward  the  Senior  Auxiliaries.  To  reply  fully  involves  negative  as  well  as 
positive  statements.  They  should  not  be  rivals  except  as  they  serve  to  stim¬ 
ulate  one  another  to  good  works.  There  should  never  be  any  feeling  on  the 


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part  of  the  Juniors  that  the  Seniors  are  old  fogy,  and  cannot  appreciate  their 
aims  for  their  society  ;  nor  on  the  part  of  the  Seniors  that  the  Juniors  carry 
all  before  them,  and  “  it  is  of  no  use  for  us  older  ones  to  try  to  do  anything.” 
The  Junior  Auxiliary  should  be  the  preparatory  school  for  the  Senior  Aux¬ 
iliary  ;  the  West  Point  of  the  army  of  Christian  volunteers  who  are  doing 
service  under  the  banner  of  the  cross  against  the  hosts  of  sin.  Let  the  older 
workers  show  their  appreciation  of  the  younger  by  asking  them  to  render 
some  service  in  their  meetings  from  time  to  time  ;  by  opening  their  houses 
now  and  then  to  the  girls  for  a  meeting ;  by  turning  to  them  confidently  for 
co-operation  when  the  Board  sends  its  urgent  calls  for  advance  all  along  the 
line  ;  by  having  an  occasional  conference  of  executive  committees.  Let  the 
Juniors  meet  all  these  advances  half  way  ;  let  them  seek  the  advice  of  those 
who  have  worked  so  long  and  accomplished  so  much.  Furthermore,  let 
there  be  no  reluctance  on  the  part  of  any  to  promote  those  who  have  served 
their  time  in  the  younger  society  to  the  ranks  of  the  older.  It  should  be  a 
natural  process  of  growth,  not  a  case  of  forcible  ejection  on  one  side,  or  of 
unwilling  reception  on  the  other.  Try  regular  graduation  exercises.  A  girl 
stands  with  regret  at  the  end  of  her  school  life,  but  she  would  be  mortified 
if  school  days  were  to  last  always  for  her,  and  she  goes  out  to  larger  activi¬ 
ties,  proud  that  she  is  counted  worthy  to  enter  upon  them. 


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Eliminate  the  young  people  from  our  homes,  and  what  have  we  left?  Old 
men  and  women  and  little  children.  Will  these  last  bound  at  once  from 
childhood  into  advanced  mature  life?  Nothing  in  God’s  world  grows  in  that 
way.  Little  by  little,  with  experiments  which  are  sometimes  failures  and 
sometimes  successes,  with  a  growth  which  is  the  result  of  many  forces,  seen 
and  unseen,  known  and  unknown,  the  child  develops  and  is  lost  sight  of  in 
the  youth  in  whom  we  live  our  own  lives  over  again.  It  keeps  us  fresh  and 
young;  we  help  it  to  grow  symmetrical  and  beautiful.  God  knows  that 
either  one  without  the  other  would  be  a  mockery,  an  impossibility.  May 
we  who  have  seen  the  worth  of  lives  fashioned  after  that  of  the  Saviour  of 
a  lost  world,  aim  that  u  our  daughters  shall  be  as  corner  stones,  polished  after 
the  similitude  of  a  palace.” 


